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Wednesday, 11 September 2013

I got the idea for this tag from Laura's All Made Up and decided to give it a go because I want to give my blog a personal feel and I think that involves opening up a bit, hence the blogpost! If you have a blog and haven't done this tag before, then I tag you to post this as well! :)

Here we go!

Vital Statistics:

Me: Natasha

Nicknames: Most people call me Tasha, so I suppose that's kind of a nickname? There's been a few others I've had over the years, but nothing that has really stuck.

Birthday: 6th April 1994

Zodiac Sign: Aries

Male or Female: Female

Occupation: I'm about to start a Business Economics degree in uni so student!

Residence: N.Ireland

Appearance:

Hair Colour: I'm currently rocking my natural hair colour, which is light brown. I quite like my hair as it is because it's got a lot of different tones in it but I'm hoping to darken it soon and dip die the ends blonde.

Hair Length: My hair NEVER grows. I've been trying for years to get it to the length I want but I can never remember it growing past my boobs (which is where it's at now). I do wear clip in extentions most of the time however, they're 22".

Eye colour: Blue/Green

Best Feature: I quite like my eyes, I think they're a nice colour.

Height: 5'8 ish

Braces?: I had braces for two and a half years. They were ridiculously painful at times but they look a lot better now than they used to. I wish I had have worn my retainer a bit more when I got them off as they have moved a bit but nothing major.

Glasses?: Nope

Piercing: None! I had my ears pierced years ago but they closed up. I've since developed a massive fear of needles and I wouldn't eeeever get a piercing done now.

Tattoos: I've wanted one for quite a while. I've went as far as booking it twice and chickened out both times. I spent 50 euro on a tattoo I was too scared to go back and get when I was in Ibiza at the start of the summer #chicken

Righty or Lefty: I was a lefty in nursery but for some reason I was told to write with my right hand. I guess I'm right handed now but I do hold a pen like a 5 year old because of it.

Your 'Firsts':

First best friend: A boy called Thomas was my best friend when I was in nursery. I don't remember much about him or know what he's up to now.

First Award: I'm not sure if this was the first award I ever got, but in primary school each teacher used to give out badges for 'saint' and 'scholar' of the week. I remember getting a 'saint of the week' badge in primary 2 for a story I had written about the Easter Bunny, aww.

First Sport You Joined: I started football after school in about P5 I think.

First Real Vacation: Fortaventura with my grandparents when I was 6, I still remember bits and pieces from it actually.

First Concert: Think it was a Fame Academy concert for my 9/10th birthday. I was obsessed with that show.

First Love: Happened at 16 with my first proper boyfriend.

Favourites:

Movie: Trainspotting! Aw, amazing plot, amazing actors, just a great film - and there's a sequel coming soon, yeh!

TV Show: I don't watch a lot of Tv, but I'm really liking Big Brother at the moment. I like to watch Fresh Prince and Inbetweeners and things like that when they're on. I've also been a massive Geordie Shore fan from the start.

Colours: I LOVE corals, neon green and orange.

Song: I'm on an Eminem kick at the moment. I seen him live a few weeks back for the second time. SO much love for that man. So excited for the new album.

Candy: There's a vegan chocolate bar I get from time to time but I can't think of what it's called...

Restaurant: Build a Burger!

Store: I used to hate primark with a passion, but I've started to like it recently.. I don't really have a favourite store though, I prefer to shop on ebay.

Book: Trainspotting again! Irvine Welsh is an amazing author. Disturbing at times, but I love the dark humor and twisted storylines. I also love Picture of Dorian Grey and All Quiet on the Western Front. Brilliant brilliant books.

Magazine: Not big into magazines anymore but I used to buy Elle and Vogue religously!

Shoes: Always wearing converse! But I have quite a few nice pairs of heels.

Currently:

Feeling: Confused

Single or Taken: Single

Eating: Nothing right now.

Typing: These answers.

Online: Of course!

Listening To: A bit of Tupac!

Thinking About: This

Wanting: Freshers week to hurry up and get here!

Watching: Nothing

Wearing: Shorts, skull vest top

Future:

Want Children?: Not particularly

Want to be Married: I'm not religious so I don't really see the point in marriage.

Careers in Mind: I want to be an entrepreneur and work for myself.

Where do you want to live?: Ibiza, where else!

Have you ever:

Kissed a Stranger: Yeh.

Had Alcohol: Yesss.

Smoked: YesI've tried it, I don't like it.

Ran Away From Home: When I was about 12

Broken a bone: Yes! I dropped a paving slab on my foot and broke it in two places.

Got an X-ray: Yes

Broken Someone's Heart: Yeh

Broke Up With Someone: Yes

Cried When Someone Died: Yes!

Cried At School: Yep

Do You Believe In:

God: No, as much as I'd like to, I don't believe in a God.

Miracles: Not in the sense that a higher being has caused something amazing to happen, but there are some miraculous things that have happened in the world that no one could have anticipated, pretty cool.

Love At First sight: Nope

Ghosts: No

Aliens: I don't think they're little green men in suits that fly about in spaceships but yeh, I don't think earth is the only place in the universe with living beings.

Soul Mates: I definately believe there are people that are perfect for each other but I don't think soul mates really exsist.

Heaven: No

Hell: No

Kissing on The First Date: Yeh, not really a big deal.

Yourself: Depends on the situation. I believe that if I put my mind to things I can achieve them, but I don't know if I believe in my ability to motivate myself long enough to get where I want.

Hello again!
So, a few days ago I posted a beauty haul and I wanted to give a quick review of one of the products I purchased. Maybe I'm cheating a bit as I've only been using this product for a few days but I feel like Aussie's Frizz Miracle Shampoo and Conditioner was too good not to rave about!

I've really neglected my hair recently and because I'd been wearing a hair piece quite a bit , I didn't really notice it start to feel horrible and dry - big mistake. I put in my extensions one day to mix things up a bit by wearing my hair straight but my own hair was so easily tangled that knots started forming pretty quickly and it became near impossible to brush.

I'm currently living at home so haven't really bothered buying any shampoo or conditioner for myself as there's usually plenty in the bathroom, but unfortunately for me my grandparents started buying 2 in 1 shampoos and conditioners. I don't know about anyone else, but I HATE 2 in 1 products with a passion and they're definitely to blame for the recent state of my hair. I'm pretty sure they're normally cheaper in price than buying the two separate but if you want to avoid a mishap like mine, avoid at all costs! They're very damaging and just not worth the money in my opinion.

Anyway! I spotted these two products by Aussie on sale in a beauty shop up the town and wanted to try them out. I've used Aussie 3 minute miracle conditioner and the conditioning spray they have before and they worked wonders but I couldn't see any in store so I opted for these two instead.

My hair was literally SO dry that I ran straight home and tried them out despite having just washed my hair that morning, but it was getting unbearable for me trying to detangle it constantly. I know these products are specifically meant for reducing frizz, but I could instantly feel a difference in the condition of my hair. It felt so much healthier and softer after just one wash!

I'm now onto my 6th day of using this, and I LOVE it. My hair hasn't felt this soft in ages. It looks better and has been so much easier to manage. It's not frizzy, but the product doesn't weigh it down either. I'm very excited to see how much my hair has improved by the time I've finished this product.

I bought this product quite a while ago, mistaking it for hairspray, so it took me a while to get round to using it. I'm not really big on hair shimmers, I've never really heard of them to be honest. I thought it was going to be some kind of glitter spray like you got as a kid to put in your hair. However,I gave it a try a few days ago for the first time to see if it added 'texture, shine and a lift in colour' like the bottle claims.

My hair has been very dry recently and I've been trying out new conditioners and shampoos try and restore it. While my current conditioner is working a treat, I thought this product basically cancelled out the softness that my hair had finally started to regain. It dried it out severely and made it hard to manage. While it doesn't claim to make hair feel soft, I was disappointed that any 'texture' it gave seemed to be coming from the ever increasing amount of knots that seemed to be forming on my head.

I didn't notice much of a difference in shine. but then again dry hair doesn't shine to much anyway and I didn't feel that this product helped with that. I'm not overly sure about whether or not there was a lift in colour. In certain light, my hair looked a bit of a richer shade of brown but not something anyone but myself would notice.

The fact I couldn't find many reviews on this product suggests that no one who has purchased it has found it particularly useful. I would recommend you avoid this product and stick to a good hair care routine in order to achieve the benefits this product claims to give you.

Monday, 9 September 2013

It goes without saying that I am NO nail artist. I think that's more than obvious from the above picture. I rarely ever use nail polish so I haven't had a lot of practice so feel free to leave me some tips on how to apply it a bit better.

Anyway, I've only ever spent money on nail polish 3/4 times, as as far as I remember it has always been Barry M. I LOVE the selection of colours they have and it's not too expensive. I've been watching quite a lot of nail videos lately and decided to buy one last time I hit the shops. (See my drugstore haul here)

I bought this in Passion Fruit, and I reeeeeally love the way it looks on (despite the fact I've ballsed it up a bit - must practice a bit more) and I definitely will purchase a few more of these in different colours. The back does tell you to apply a base coat but I didn't bother with that. I think it looks fine without and is quite thick so it doesn't chip easily. I'd definitely recommend picking this up if you're looking for a new polish, or if like me you're just starting out and want to build up your collection.

There is definitely more of a red tint to the polish than my picture shows, I'd even go as far to say it looks coral in certain lights. Be sure to check this out next time you're out shopping :)

Saturday, 7 September 2013

Unfortunately for me, no shops in my town sell my beloved Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation, and being one of those people who wait until the very last drop of a product has gone before I repurchase, I found myself having to try out a new foundation to tide me over after I finished my last bottle.

I was a bit strapped for cash at the time, and so decided to head to the closest superdrug and try out a high street / drugstore foundation, something I haven't really done in a year or two. I'll be honest, I've become quite snobby about my foundation. When I started out using make up I tested a bunch of them and never found anything that gave me the coverage and staying power that I wanted so I was a bit reluctant to spend money on something I had convinced myself wouldn't work.

I didn't do any research before I chose a foundation so I walked into the shop not really knowing what people had said what products - something I like to find out before buying anything beauty related. I did recognise this particular foundation after hearing about it over on Hollie Wakeham's Youtube channel so I went ahead and purchased it.

This foundation cost me £10.99 and I bought it in shade light beige to use when I had tan on. I really liked the colour of it, I think they have quite a nice range but as far as I could see they didn't have much to offer people with lighter skin tones. I couldn't really wear this without tan however as the foundation had quite a yellow undertone which doesn't really suit my complexion.

I have a fair bit of redness, dark circles and some acne scaring on my face and so I like to use full coverage foundations, I didn't feel like this gave me the coverage I needed. It was very light and I found that the more that I used on my face, the oilier my skin felt throughout the day - and I rarely get oily skin.

The bottle promises '16 hours of radiance-boosting even, revived complexion' and I'm sorry to say, this foundation did not deliver. I used Rimmel Stay Matte powder to try and set my foundation, this powder has been my holy grail since I started using make up and therefore I know this was the fault of the foundation, however I found that it became patchy and uneven after about 3 hours. My problem areas were the first to show through, and I felt like I had to constantly retouch my make up.

Personally, I would not repurchase Bourjois Healthy Mix Gel Serum. It just didn't do anything for me. While it was a lot cheaper than my usual foundation, it didn't last me very long at all, nor did it allow me to achieve the look I wanted.

Friday, 6 September 2013

Hi Everyone! Got another haul for you today. I went up town earlier with the intention of grabbing a few MUA items to try them out but the only shop I know that sold them here doesn't have them in stock anymore so I went ahead and tried a few other things instead.

Bourjois - Rouge Edition Lipstick in 11 Fraise Remix

I love love LOVE this lip colour and I had been wanting to try out something from Bourjois Rouge Edition for quite a while now so I went ahead and purchased one today. My pictures don't show off the colour very well, but I'd describe this as a hot pink with a red/orange tint to it. Quite a complicated one to explain but very nice indeed. When applied to the lips it looks quite bold and eye catching which is what I like.

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Ultimate Wear Concealer in 2 Light

I'm a massive fan of Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation, and I never find myself needing to wear concealer with it. but right now I'm using Rimmel's Wake Me Up Foundation and I have noticed a few problem areas showing throughout the day so I thought I'd better pick one up. I've heard a fair few beauty bloggers raving about this particular concealer, in particular Zoella who I've heard mention it in a few of her videos. I haven't really had a chance to use this yet. I like the shade I've chosen I think it matches my skin quite well. It appears quite think and dries quickly which I'm hoping means it has good staying power. Time will tell with this one!

Bourjois Blush in 41 Healthy Mix

I really like Bourjois blushers, but it's been a long time since I purchased one. So long, in fact, that I can't remember what shade it is I usually purchase. Anyway, I thought I'd pick this one up and give it a go. It's quite a subtle pink colour, quite nice on and really compliments the Bourjois lipstick I mentioned above. These little tubs, although small, seem to last me ages which is always good. I got this half price at Superdrug because I bought it alongside another item from the same brand so worth checking out while it's on offer.

Royal Eyelash Adhesive

I won a set of ten false eyelashes from eBay a few weeks ago and they recently arrived with no glue so I thought I'd pick some up when I was out. I did try to use this with the eyelashes but just found that they wouldn't stick at all. I'n not sure if this was down to the cheap, unbranded lashes I bought or the glue so I'll not make judgement on this until I try them out with another eyelash brand.

NS Facial Scrub

I have to admit, I am terrible when it comes to skin care. I had really bad acne a few years back, but when it finally cleared up thanks to one particular treatment, I was lucky enough to never get anything more than a few spots from time to time. Unfortunately I've started to get a few spots again, although I reckon it's because I've changed my foundation. Anyway, I wanted to pick of a few skin care products and get into some kind of routine and lifted this. Admittedly, I don't know anything about this brand but I will give it a go and see if it's any good.

Aussie Frizz Miracle Shampoo and Conditioner

Usually I'm not too fussed about what I was my hair with, but recently it's become very dry and tangled and hard to manage and so I thought I had better invest in something a bit better than whatever stuff I seen on offer at the supermarket. I've used Aussie's 3 Minute Wonder Conditioner before and loved how it made my hair look and feel and so I'm going to try these two out and hope for the best!

Barry M Nail Paint - 328 Passion Fruit

I love this nail polish. Such a nice colour and allows for smooth application. It comes out a nice Hot Pink / Red colour which is perfect for the transition from summer into autumn.

Collection 2000 - Super Size Fat Lash Mascara in 1 Black

No particular reason for picking up this mascara, I just needed a new one and this promised to make lashes appear 'fatter' so hopefully it does exactly that!

Thursday, 5 September 2013

It's been quite a while since I bought clothes so I'm pretty excited about having some new items in my wardrobe. The majority of these were either on sale or won in eBay auctions which meant that I paid just a fraction of the RRP for them. I have included where each item was purchased and the price I paid for them at the bottom of this post. I appreciate some of these items may be a bit random and not particularly suited to the season but at the price I got them, and for the quality of the clothes, it would have been difficult to pass up.

1) H&M Yellow Skirt - I bought this in store with an old gift card I got at Christmas but never got round to using. I never usually wear skirts but I'm big into yellows at the moment so this really caught my eye. I've wore this on nights out as well as during the day so it's quite versatile in that sense. I can't remember exactly how much this cost but it was quite cheap and definately under £20.

2) H&M Patterned Top - Apologies for the terrible lighting in the above picture, the top is actually white. I bought this top to go with the skirt above. I love the way the two look together, totally different to what I'd normally wear. Again, I can't remember the exact price of this top but it was around £10.

3) eBay - Forever 21 Top - The first of my eBay purchases. I don't usually buy batwing style tops but I thought I'd give this one a try and I'm glad I did. I've worn this a few times, both with jeans and with high waisted shorts. It's very casual and comfortable and only came to £4.24 inc P&P.

4) eBay - River Island Hoodie - Being someone who gets cold very easily, it's not really a surprise that I a far few hoodies. That being said, every one that I do own looks the same but in a different block colour. I found this item on the 'ending soonest' list in the women's clothing section and placed a bid on it and won it for a decent £4.70 inc P&P. I loved the design and colour of this and I found it a lot more interesting than the hoodies I already owned. At that price, you can't really go wrong.

5) eBay- New Look Sun Dress - With the way the weather's been this summer, it's hard to say when I'll get round to wearing this, but as it only cost me £3.49 inc P&P I don't mind having to wait a while. I like this dress on, it's quite flattering and I think the colour suits my skin tone and hair colour quite well which is a nice plus. Certainly something I'd of liked to have had with me on holidays this year, but being as simplistic as it is I don't think there'd be any weird looks given if I was to hold out until next summer before wearing it.

6) eBay - Topshop Flower Dress - Admittedly, this dress looks a lot better on than it does in pictures. The back of it is quite low, something I've never worn before and the front has a bit of a dip too but nothing too revealing. The dress itself is about knee length and I think it would be quite a nice piece to wear with black tights and a pair of boots. It could be worn during the day because its slightly longer length would allow you to get away with it but I think I'll save this one for an event or dinner etc and dress it up with a bit of jewelry and high heels. This cost me £5.54 inc P&P.

7) Sara Yellow Dress - My favourite item from this haul!I'm unsure if this shop exists outside my town, but it's not somewhere I venture into regularly. I find a lot of its clothes to be quite tacky and ill fitting but I really couldn't pass up this dress when I seen it. As I said above, I'm big into yellows at the moment, and I really love the fit of this dress. It's quite forgiving when it comes to showing off your figure, cinching you in at the waist. There's a bit of netting below the skirt which makes it a bit more shapely but nothing too dramatic. When I first seen this in the shop it was £40, but was reduced to £20 later in the week. Lucky for me my Granda noticed it had gone down in price and surprised me with it earlier in the week so happy days!

8) H&M Cat Print Dress - If memory serves me right I paid around £12.99 for this dress, and it was certainly worth it. I've seen a few different items of clothing similar to this one in the shops but none that particularly appealed to me, but after trying this on I was more than happy to purchase it. Again, this is something I thought I would get wear out of day or night and it's certainly served me well so far.